CHINA'S MOST GENEROUS

2015 Overview

This original database includes individual philanthropists giving in Mainland China between September 2014 and August 2015. We studied the geography of giving and receiving, causes supported, industries represented, and level of generosity, etc.

Key Findings

He Xiangjian, founder of Midea Group Co. Ltd. in Guangdong, tops the 2015 Giving List at ￥400 million ($63 million).

China's wealthiest prefer to give in their home provinces – six out of every 10 RMB donated by the Top 100 is given locally. China’s poorest areas such as Tibet, Xinjiang, Ningxia, Gansu and Yunnan combined received only 1.96% of top 100 giving.

Education is the most popular cause of choice. Despite the acute environmental challenges facing China in 2015, environmental causes rank last in funding received.

Total donations and pledges of the Top 100 account for a quarter of national donations in 2014.

Wu Shaoxun

Guangdong – Land of Giving

The southern province of China is home to 21 philanthropists who donated about ￥1.1 billion, making it the most generous region in terms of absolute giving and number of donors. He Xiangjian, founder of the electrical appliance manufacturer Midea, leads with ￥400 million donation in 2015.

Real Estate Gives

China’s booming property market has minted the most top philanthropists. Nearly a third of the country's top 100 donors come from the construction/real estate industry, followed by Manufacturing (19), Consumer (14) and Technology (13).

Government Takes the Lead...

Though high-profile scandals have eroded trust in government-backed charities, they continue to play a dominant role. More than half of the philanthropists (57) donate to government or state-affiliated charities.

...But Private Donors are Rising

Top Chinese donors are increasingly developing their own systems for professionalized philanthropy. Nearly a fifth of the donors on this list have established their own personal or family foundations as a vehicle for giving.

Gender Inequality

China's top donors are overwhelmingly male, with only 11 of the Top 100 philanthropists this year are women.

About the Project

The rise of private wealth is one of the most important developments in modern China, with implications for the country’s social, economic, and political arenas. How individuals choose to deploy such resources will shape the relationships between the individual and the state, between the state and business, and between the state and the social sector.

This project aims to strengthen understanding of China’s philanthropic landscape by analyzing the makeup and choices of China’s most generous individuals. We hope the introduction of a metric on level of generosity, while imperfect, will add a new dimension to the discussion on how China’s wealthy choose to support charitable causes. We welcome comments and suggestions on our analysis and methodology through the email address listed below. The findings compile data from a variety of sources including media reports, company websites, corporate filings and trade journals. When possible we have further verified the data by directly contacting the philanthropist or the recipient of the gift.

We believe that an independent, verified, and research-oriented database on China's philanthropic giving will enable much-needed quantitative research on the sector and provide a crucial resource for government, academic, media, and non-profit organizations.

We will supplement the database with a range of case studies, white papers, academic articles, and interviews with leading philanthropists and leaders of philanthropic organizations.